Disclaimer: When in doubt, I ask myself what Toby Ziegler would do. Then I do what Josh Liman would do if he was pre-menstrual.
JADE LEONARD
Ruby (Independent)
Jade Leonard’s debut release is marketed as a ‘queer pop’ single, which is a little curious demarcation. What exactly is queer pop, you ask? It’s pop by queers for queers, apparently. Jade self-identifies as a dyke dynamo, she performed at Midsumma and her song celebrates Australia’s leading lesbian icon, Ruby Rose. Speaking as someone with a lot of experience in this area, I’d say she’s got great potential with her niche audience, but not much chance of breaking out. Ruby is tragically unhip Casio pop with earnest lyrics that reduce the tattooed TV personality to a willowy collection of Hallmark sentiments. At best, you could say it has a bit of a Bacharach flavour, but that’s a very generous stretch.
WILD BEASTS
Albatross (EMI)
The first single from Wild Beasts’ forthcoming album (Smother, out May 6) sees Hayden Thorpe dial it down a notch. His erratic, runaway voice is muted and shivering here; a more delicate application, drawing you in instead of cart wheeling around your disorientated ears. With this kind of subtlety and control, Wild Beasts are at their best. Albatross is beautiful and distinctive, with the strange art rock appeal of Kate Bush or Prince.
KING CANNONS
Teenage Dreams (EMI)
Melbourne ska collective King Cannons growl and bounce through a not-too-shabby song about the death of youthful optimism. Like all good ska singles, the best bit is when the blokes in this all-but-one sausage factory start hollering in chorus. Fun times.
JACK ROBBINS
Come on Back (Independent)
It breaks my heart, the loving touches that are applied to some independent singles. Along with carefully penned art deco lettering and daubs of coloured paint, Jack Robbins has printed a neat black and white poster of three handsome gentlemen from the 1950s and folded it into the CD sleeve. Why, I don’t know, but it’s nice. The song is nice too – a stripped back ‘chain gang’ folk tune shaped by Jack’s soulful, bluesy and supple voice. His guitar work is beautiful, fingers rippling over the strings like he’s running them across the surface of water. Lovely.
STATE OF ORDER
Calling Out (Indepedent)
Calling Out is the lowest form of melodic rock, seemingly endemic amongst first time bands of an outer suburban persuasion and sound engineers with delusions of grandeur. This would-be Stone Temple Pilots melodrama is hopelessly regressive and emotionally vapid. It’s got no heart at all. The instrumentation is competent but ridiculously self-conscious, and there isn’t one original thought in the melody or arrangement. It’s written, I’m guessing, by people who don’t really know much about music, who aren’t passionate about the history of the art form and aren’t voracious in their discovery of new artists. It’s written by people, I’m guessing, who take commercial radio seriously. I’m sorry if this sounds too harsh. There is a stupendous bitch siren going off in my head right now, but it’s being drowned out by the gimme a fucking break siren. It’s 2011, lads. Time to catch up.
THE AERIAL MAPS
The Sunset Park (Popboomerang)
I would never buy or dedicate repeat listening hours to this song, but there’s something very admirable in its bogan Australian poetry. With loping folk pop instrumentation, The Sunset Park describes the characters populating a residential caravan park, from down on their luck families to hoary old Vietnam vets, bringing the place vividly to life. Lyrics are rarely so fluid andimaginable.
CARUS THOMPSON
You Can’t Find Me (Independent/MGM)
Carus Thompson is a country artist who sounds a bit like Paul Kelly, rollicking and sincere in his barnyard hoedown way. Caravan doesn’t have quite the same wry emotional punch of Kelly’s greatest hits, but it’s catchy enough to charm the right audience.
